Meeting of the Parliament 05 June 2024
I will not. I do not have time, I am afraid.
However, we object to the London parties extending and increasing that levy, focusing disproportionately on Scotland’s energy wealth and putting investment in renewables transition at risk.
In the case of the Tories, we object to their using that money to fund their unfunded tax cuts elsewhere and, in the case of Labour, we object to their apparent plans to invest it in nuclear energy in England. Both parties are undermining confidence in Scotland’s transition, which is vital for our economy and our contribution to ending climate change.
I said that I wanted to come back to some good news about how the SNP is already working to build a transition in Scotland. That includes our investment of £24.5 million to leverage Sumitomo’s groundbreaking £350 million supply chain investment in the port of Nigg, and the Scottish National Investment Bank’s £50 million investment, which is supporting one of the largest regeneration projects in the Highlands for decades at Ardersier, with the potential for around 3,000 jobs and reskilling opportunities. It also includes the £3.7 million that we have invested in the development of a practical offshore energy skills passport. On that, I am very pleased to note the industry update of progress on that last month.